Dr. Sponheimer is the founder of Sponheimer Patent Law, a solo patent practice based in Northern Colorado. He provides strategic, responsive, and highly personalized intellectual property services to inventors, startups, entrepreneurs, and established companies seeking robust protection for innovations in medical devices, drug delivery systems, mechanical technologies, sensors, electrical systems, and related fields.
With practical engineering experience in medical device design and development, Chris brings a rare depth of technical understanding paired with sophisticated patent law expertise. Notably, he served as a Patent Examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, where he examined patent applications in the biomedical, electrical, and mechanical arts — with a particular focus on surgical devices, endoscopy, and dentistry. This firsthand experience at the USPTO gives him unique insight into examiner perspectives, examination procedures, and proven strategies for drafting strong, allowable patent claims.
Chris has substantial experience prosecuting patent applications in private practice and in-house corporate settings. His work spans drafting applications, responding to office actions, conducting examiner interviews, appealing rejections, performing prior art searches, managing international portfolios, and providing strategic IP counseling on portfolio development, competitive landscape analysis, product clearance, and licensing matters.
This comprehensive background—from examining applications at the USPTO to prosecuting complex portfolios and supporting in-house IP strategy—enables Chris to anticipate challenges, craft defensible patents efficiently, and deliver practical, business-oriented intellectual property solutions. At Sponheimer Patent Law, clients receive the same high-caliber work found at large firms, combined with the direct access, flexibility, responsiveness, and cost-effectiveness that only a dedicated solo practice can provide.
To learn more about how Sponheimer Patent Law can help protect your innovations, please reach out via the contact form or by phone at 970.481.2671.
Professional Biography
Chris Sponheimer,
Ph.D.
Founder & Patent Attorney
Admissions
United States Patent and Trademark Office (Reg. No. 64,462)
District of Columbia
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
Education
American University, Washington College of Law
Juris Doctor, 2016
Additional specialized training:
Munich Intellectual Property Summer Program, Munich, Germany (2014) – George Washington University
Intellectual Property Summer Program, Geneva, Switzerland (2013) – World Intellectual Property Organization and World Trade Organization
University of Denver
Doctor of Philosophy in Bioengineering, 2010
Graduate Studies Doctoral Fellow
Dissertation: Influence of compressible aerogel electrodes on the properties of an electrochemical cell
Publication: Sponheimer, C.S., Lengsfeld, C.S., “Novel Protein Based Pressure Transducer,” Sensors and Actuators: B. Chemical, 2012
Colorado State University
Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering, 2004
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Mathematics, 2003